Maria Immacolata Catholic School to Close at Conclusion of 2019-2020 School Year
December 2, 2019

Maria Immacolata Catholic School has educated generations of families in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux for over a half century. However, despite its history and very strong legacy, over the last several years the student enrollment and economic vitality of the school have fallen to a level that is no longer sustainable. 

On Sunday, December 1, 2019, Maria Immacolata Catholic Church Pastor Fr. Joey Pilola announced to his parishioners and the school community that a decision had been made to close the school, effective at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Fr. Pilola indicated the decision was reached after consultation in late November with the parish council and finance council, as well as the school’s finance and advisory boards. 

Bishop Shelton Fabre, diocesan senior staff and the Office of Catholic Schools all concur with and support the difficult decision announced by Fr. Pilola. 

“While we sincerely regret that these actions are necessary, we remain dedicated to the mission of Catholic education in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux,” said Superintendent of Catholic Schools Suzanne Delaune Troxclair. “We recognize this is difficult news to hear, but we are blessed to have other strong Catholic schools nearby.” 

Troxclair stated that the Office of Catholic Schools is working diligently to prepare resources to assist the Maria Immacolata families enroll in another Catholic school in the diocese next year.

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Schools Again Exceed State ACT College Readiness Results
October 24, 2019

The Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is in receipt of the District ACT College Readiness Results for the 2019 graduating class in the diocese.  In comparison to statewide results, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux has yet again exceeded the state average in all areas, and have increased as a diocese in math, science and English.

“Our district composite score of 23.5 exceeds the 18.8 state average composite by 4.7 points,” said Superintendent Suzanne Delaune Troxclair, M.Ed.  “These results are the tangible proof of the dedication and hard work of a great many teacher-ministers, staff and students.”

The ACT report reflects the achievement of graduates on the ACT over time, and an indication of the extent to which they are prepared for college-level work.  All 344 graduating seniors from the three diocesan high schools (Central Catholic, E.D. White and Vandebilt Catholic) took the ACT exam, and their results in all testing categories (English, mathematics, reading and science) exceeded the state averages by a minimum of three points.

As stated in the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools, “The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops affirms the message of the Congregation of Catholic Education that intellectual development of the person and growth as a Christian go forward hand in hand. Rooted in the mission of the Church, the Catholic school brings faith, culture and life together in harmony.”

“A Christ-centered environment that fosters academic success is the collaborative effort of all of our schools. We look forward to the intentional work of preparing our students for their colleges and careers, embracing our responsibility to form our students so that they are prepared to continue the mission of the Catholic Church as adult members of society,” added Troxclair.

Catholic Foundation Announces First Elementary School Tuition Assistance Endowment

The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana announced today the first endowment to provide Catholic elementary school tuition assistance to its families. Named in memory of Nell Talbot Legendre, Catholic elementary school principals can request grant funds for tuition assistance for students starting in the spring of 2020. 

A native of Franklin, LA, Nell’s family moved to Houma when she was in fifth grade. Preparing to attend St. Francis, a kind storekeeper noticed her outside his closed store on a Sunday. He not only allowed her in the closed store, but also generously extended a discount to her family for her full set of uniforms. Mrs. Nell fondly recalled that act the rest of her life, and now her family wants to reciprocate to help other families requiring assistance. 

Mrs. Nell graduated from St. Francis and Vandebilt Catholic, and then sent her own children to St. Genevieve and E.D. White. Through her nursery school Building Blocks, she nurtured hundreds of children over the years. 

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux educate over 5,000 students each year, making it the largest evangelization ministry in the diocese. Those interested in contributing to the elementary school assistance fund, please contact Amy Ponson at (985) 850-3116, or aponson@htdiocese.org. 

PICTURE CUTLINE: Nell Talbot Legendre (center) is pictured with her four children. Her children have partnered with the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana to create the Nell Talbot Legendre Tuition Endowment in her memory.

 

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Welcomes Mr. Peter Boudreaux to Central Catholic

It is with great hope for the future that the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Schools welcomes Mr. Peter Boudreaux as the new principal of Central Catholic!  Mr. Boudreaux is an active parishioner of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Morgan City, Louisiana. His graduate studies include a Master’s degree in Education plus 30 graduate hours from Nicholls State University, where he also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

He is currently serving as the Assistant Superintendent in St. Mary Parish Public Schools. His areas of certification include Principal, Supervisor of Instruction, and Social Studies for grades 6-12.  In his 31 years as an educator, he has taught special education and social studies classes, as well as having served as an assistant baseball coach at Morgan City High School. Mr. Boudreaux has served as an administrator in both the elementary and high school settings, including serving as assistant principal of Hattie Watts Elementary School, principal of J. B. Maitland Elementary School, and principal of Morgan City High School. He served as a school administrator in St. Mary Parish Public Schools for 10 years.

In 2007, Mr. Boudreaux was named Supervisor of Instruction in St. Mary Parish Public Schools.  In that role, he was responsible for the supervision of several programs, including adult education, driver education, career and technical education, staff development, school counseling, and textbooks.  He served in that capacity until being named Director of Human Resources in 2016, a position he held for over two years.

In addition to his teaching and administrative experiences, Mr. Boudreaux has served his community in various capacities. He is a past president of the St. Mary Parish Principals Association and currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Central Catholic.  Other community service experiences include having served as a coach in youth sports. Additionally, he is an active parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Morgan City, where he serves as a lector. Mr. Boudreaux and his wife of 37 years, Nancy Boudreaux, are blessed with two sons, Zachary and Benjamin.

In the newly unified Central Catholic, Mr. Boudreaux will join Amanda Talbot, the current principal of grades Pre-K-5, as he serves as principal of grades 6-12. Having attended Holy Cross Elementary as a student, Mr. Boudreaux is very excited to serve in a faith-filled school setting and to lead students in their spiritual and academic formation.  He believes his faith in God is fundamental in his role as a school leader.   He feels truly honored and blessed to serve as principal of Central Catholic!

 

St. Genevieve Catholic Elementary School Welcomes Mrs. Cheryl Thibodaux
 

It is with great hope for the future that the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Schools and St. Genevieve Church welcome Mrs. Cheryl Thibodaux as the new principal of St. Genevieve Catholic Elementary School for the 2019-2020 school year!  Mrs. Thibodaux is an active parishioner of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church. She obtained both her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and her Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Nicholls State University.  She has also completed a teacher leader program at Nicholls State, and she will complete the Catalyst Program for Catholic School Leaders this spring through Creighton University.

Mrs. Thibodaux holds a valid Louisiana Teaching Certificate in grades 1-8. Her other areas of certification include Principal in Elementary Education, Basic Catechist certification, and certification in various assessment tools.  Mrs. Thibodaux taught 2^ndgrade for seven years at St. Genevieve before becoming Assistant Principal of St. Bernadette in Houma, a position she held for five years.  Her Catholic education journey brought her back to St. Genevieve in 2009 as Assistant Principal, the position she holds today.  Other work experiences include serving as a 4-H Club and Cross Country Co-Moderator, an AdvancED Accreditation Chair, a Diocesan Internal Monitoring Visit Chair, and as a member of the Diocesan School Safety Committee, the Diocesan Insurance Committee, and the Technology Curriculum Strategic Guide Planning Committee. Mrs. Thibodaux has also served on the Diocesan Catholic Schools Curriculum Alignment Projects for English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.  Her professional memberships include the National Catholic Educational Association, the Louisiana Association of School Executives, and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

As a parishioner of Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Thibodaux, Mrs. Thibodaux serves as a Baptismal Seminar Facilitator, a Bible Camp Station Leader, a Commentator, a Lector, and a Eucharistic Minister.  She has also served as the parish’s youth minister and as a CCD teacher.  Mrs. Thibodaux and her husband Gerald are blessed with two daughters, Sydney and Cassie. Sydney is a sophomore at E. D. White, and Cassie is in 7th grade at St. Genevieve.

Mrs. Thibodaux strives to educate the whole child and to continue to nurture an environment that forms Christian values while fostering self-improvement and self-discipline instituted by past principals.  An emphasis will be placed on sharing among all members of the school community:  students, parents, faculty, staff, clergy, and community members to create a mission to serve one another.  Mrs. Thibodaux is eager and honored to serve as the principal of St. Genevieve Catholic School!